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As you might imagine, I get questions like this all the time. As a result, I do have recommendations for security software and techniques to stay safe in various articles all over Ask Leo!.
To make your life a little easier, here’s a short version that sums it all up.
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The short-short version
Most home and small business users who don’t want to think about it too much should simply:
- Get a router even if you have only one computer; it will be your firewall.
- Install the free Microsoft Security Essentials as your anti-virus, anti-spyware and malware scanner.
- Turn on Windows Automatic Update.
- Turn on the Windows Firewall when you travel.
That’s it.
Good basic protection in four steps with only one download.
Basic security software: Microsoft Security Essentials
In the past, I’ve strongly recommended against all-in-one solutions.
By all-in-one, I mean any single program, package, or “security suite” that claims to do everything: firewall, anti-spyware, anti-virus, and often much more all in a single package. What I hear from readers is that these types of suites often have problems or actually cause more problems than other alternatives.
That strong recommendation against continues – I’ve not changed my mind.
With one exception: Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE).
In a sense, it’s not really an all-in-one solution like the others. It has both anti-virus and anti-spyware, but that’s it. It’s not trying to shovel in all sorts of other features that you don’t need and that often only serve to destabilize your computer. MSE isn’t trying to compete against other products with long feature lists – and as a result, it wins.
Not long ago, MSE came under fire by rating lower than some other security packages in a test published online. That happens almost every anti-malware package. It’s actually difficult to find consistent test results that point to any single, clear winner. In the case of this most recent test, I believe that the user actually had to explicitly ignore warnings presented by MSE and explicitly allow malicious software to be run.
My recommendation stands. MSE remains a solid and free anti-virus and anti-spyware package with minimal system impact that should be appropriate for almost anyone.
Other good alternatives
On the other hand, Microsoft Security Essentials might not be the right solution for everyone. No single product is.
Even with a good, solid foundation like MSE, you may also find yourself needing additional tools at times. The unfortunate but very practical reality is that no single tool or combination of tools can find all malware all the time. As a result, you may sometimes need to bring in alternatives to help out.
Malwarebytes
I throw Malwarebytes Anti-malware into a classification by itself. It’s not really an anti-virus tool per se. In their forums, you’ll often see the support staff recommending anti-virus tools to install alongside Malwarebytes. But I can’t really call it an anti-spyware tool either.
What’s important is that it continues to have a very good track record of removing troublesome malware that other packages sometimes miss.
Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware comes in two versions: free and pay. The free version is a fully functional, stand-alone manual scanner. I often recommend it as an additional tool when removing malware or when malware is suspect. The paid version adds real-time scanning and scheduled scanning and updates.
Anti-virus
AVG Free and Avira Free are two free solutions that I’ve come to recommend. I’ve run both at various times and on various computers in recent years.
I have two concerns with both:
- They both try really, really hard to up-sell you to the paid versions. Be persistent, be careful, and make sure you get the free version – it’s only the free version that I’m recommending here.
- They often include additional features, like link scanners, toolbars, search engine overrides, and more that are either unrelated to their function, or in my opinion simply not needed. Be careful to select only the features and functionality that you need.
Anti-spyware
Spybot Search and Destroy is one of the longest running and highly regarded anti-spyware tools out there. I used it for many years, and wouldn’t hesitate to install and use it again.
Also one of the “old guard” is Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware. It’s had some issues in years past, but as I understand it, it’s a solid alternative once again. My only concern with Ad-Aware is that being a free version based on a commercial product, it does seem to be starting down the road of perhaps trying to do too much.
Firewall
For home and business use, I recommend the use of any good NAT router as a firewall. They don’t have to be expensive and are one of the simplest approaches to keeping your computer safe from network-based threats. If all the computers on the local network side of the router can be trusted, then there’s no need for an additional software firewall.
When traveling, I recommend simply turning on the built-in Windows Firewall. There’s often no harm in leaving it on at home, but it can occasionally get in the way of some local machine-to-machine activities like sharing files and folders.
I understand that some people feel strongly that an additional software firewall is still called for in certain circumstances. In my opinion, those circumstances are infrequent. I do not have a specific product to recommend, as all of the current software firewalls seem to cause issues, often serious, from time to time.
Offline scanner
If your machine becomes infected with malware of some sort there’s a good chance that you’ll not be able to actually download anything. That means you won’t be able to download the latest updated for your anti-malware tools, or perhaps be able to run them at all. When that happens it calls for an 0ff-line malware scanner.
An offline scanner is simply a complete anti-virus and anti-spyware scanning tool that you download and burn to CD or DVD on another computer.
You then boot the infected machine from the media you burned and run the scanner. That way, the infected Windows doesn’t run and the scanner can check, change, or repair more than the a normal scanner could.
I recommend Windows Defender Offline for this purpose. Unfortunately, it’s not something you download and keep ready to use. In order to make sure you’re running the most recent update of the tool and its database of malware, it’s important to download it when you need it.
What else?
I strongly recommend you back up, regularly. In fact, I can’t stress this enough. 99% of the disasters I hear about could be completely avoided simply by having up-to-date backups. Macrium Reflect is the backup software I currently use and recommend.
Keep your computer up-to-date. That means turning on Windows Update or making sure to visit the Windows Update website religiously. The vast majority of computer infections we hear about are due to the operating system simply not being kept up-to-date with the latest available patches.
And finally, Internet Safety: 8 Steps to Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet has even more tips for keeping your computer safe.
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As a long-time reader, computer user, and computer-hygiene advocate, my recommendations are quite similar: I use AVG Free on my more robust machines and Avast on the modest ones; each are very good. The latest version of AVG demands more in system resources than Avast does, so install AVG in machines with at least 1 GB of memory and a relatively fast CPU. Avast gets by on less. I prefer AVG, though, because of its user interface.
Anti-spyware, I can’t vouch for Defender but have had good success with Spybot S&D. It’s been around long enough to have the bugs worked out of it.
I also use Ad-Aware 2007 for another layer of protection.
- Anti-Virus
AVG is the best free anti-virus. I used NOD32 because it’s extremely lightweight and their tech support is second to none.
- Anti-Spyware
I used Defender and the one time I got a infected it didn’t stop it. I think for most people, the decision to get an anti-spyware tool or not is based on how well they can put up with the annoyances.
- Firewall
Ditto…
- Backup
Drive Snapshot and BartPE for system recovery. Any compression utility (I use 7-zip) for data backup. The bugs in Acronis TrueImage just aren’t worth it.
- Keeping your OS and Applications Up-To-Date
Ditto…
- For those that regularly surf the net:
Use OpenDNS for your DNS servers.
Use any browser other than IE
Use PeerGuardian (It’s always fun to watch who’s trying to contact your computer and viceversa.)
I am using AVG free for last 4 years and never had any problem with it….though i must say latest AVG 8 is slightly more resource hogging n complex….
As for spyware…..spybot search & destroy,ADAWARE,spyware blaster….all fine and wonderful packages….& hizack this in case everything fails….
….FIREWALL…windows firewall & ZONE ALARM….
& lastly i want to add i am a fan of C-CLEANER as well…..
Get a Mac!
Gina
As a long time PC user (as in IBM PC/XT), I was a very early user of Norton Utilities, version 1. Now they are Symantec. Over time I became frustrated with two things about them. 1) I have five computers in my home (six counting my 85 yr old moms), and the cost of yearly upgrades was exorbitant. 2) the time overhead using their products was killing throughput, particulary the full system scans. Not having lots of time to load and maintain separate solution pieces, as described in the article, I’ve started using Trend Micro’s Internet Security Pro. It comes as a 3-user pack, which suits a multi-user situation nicely. Have had it on-board for about two months, and I am very happy thus far. Especially with the much shorter times needed to do full system scans. Also, my machines are running much faster. Now, if I could just find a way to kill off the bandwidth hogs who are degrading the Verizon FIOS…
I have been using Command by Authentium. What do you think of it.
Nick
Although all-in-ones are not recommended in this article, I’ve had no infections of any kind for the past 2 years using Kaspersky Internet Security. It also doesn’t hog up system resources.
You don’t mention it, but it’s possible to use more than one product to cover the same bases (maybe pair up free-ware and commercial products).
For example, I too use CA eTrust (still the MS corporate solution) in realtime, I also have others anti-virus scanners I use, expecially when doing a software build that will end up on a customers system.
There’s no reason you couldn’t have two backup systems for critical data.
I also use MS Defender, but periodically do a scan with Lavasofts Ad-Aware or Spybot Search and Destroy.
Each product has different strengths.
08-Oct-2008
What Security Software do you recommend for Macintosh OSX.4?
I agree with all comments above. Packages for getting rid of spyware and malware that I tend to use are super-anti spyware and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware (particularly good). As for an antivirus program NOD32 is quite and it also doesn’t hog your machine like McAfee does…!!!
I’m curious, how can you make these recommendations when it seems to sound as though you are recommending them only because these are the only ones that YOU have tried and not because you have used and compared several different anti-virus or internet security products? Have you ever tested Trend-Micro AV or Int security? Or any others such as Stop Sign?
08-Oct-2008
The above comment is directed to Leo, the author of the article, not to other users who made comments.
Thanks,
Papa
I can’t find linkscanner on AVG Free. I have version 7.5.
Can you help?
Thanks.
to Don
linkscanner is in AVG 8, not in 7.5
Panda is a software that allows you can choose yor protection according to your computer activity and your need for security levels. I’ve tried many and I love the platinum version. Never have the problems that spyware causes. It’s Always giving notifications of actions taken that makes me feel more secure. I’ve tried Avast but prefer Panda.
Personally i use comodo.com
for firewall-clamwin for antivirus.
No issues for the past 2 yrs.
Is it possible to be TOO clean with your computer? At the end of a day my husband and I run CCleaner,Spybot,Ad Aware, Spywear Terminator and Spywear Dr. ( not at same time) . People say we are silly but some programs find things others won’t.
Do a search for adwcleaner on the net. The site is in French or English. To access English, click on English key at top right corner of its webpage. Its free or donation ware. Portable. Updates itself. Fast. Cleans browsers and parts of registry. First time I ran it my keyboard worked correctly again and this computer speeded up to normal. Start. Stop. Run. Until I setup a lab to clean Gmail spam, my computer was ravaged by a Craigslist spammer and running adwcleaner was the only way I found to clean it. After running it you will need to reboot your computer then it scans again. To make sure it removed the problems. I’ve been running AVG, Malwarebytes, Spybot. They don’t touch what Adwcleaner can do.
I have found that most anti-spyware is a waste of time…I’ve made a c: partition (8 gigs) strickly for the os and a d: partition for everything else (my docs, program files etc.) and use acronis to image my c:. Anything happens to the os and it’s a simple 10 mins to reinstall the imaged os. I do use antivir for realtime antivirus and kaspersky for scanning new installs, not realtime. Online armor for firewall and that’s about it. I’ve found adaware and spybot just too bloated and doesnt really help all that much. Oh and I also use sandboxie for questionable .exe’s. Needless to say I don’t worry abit.
If you use AVG Anti-Virus 8.0 and choose to turn off LinkScanner as recommended by Leo, the AVG tray icon will show an ‘error’ state (appears with a big red ! over it). It is possible to turn this off as follows: open the AVG user interface, from the Tools menu choose Advanced Settings… On the left-hand side click Ignore Faulty Conditions, then check LinkScanner.
NOD32 from ESET has worked well for me for a few yrs now. Only lately have they gone to the suite thing where they now have anti spyware which I am informed is not compatible with Sunbelt Software’s CounterSpy. Counter Spy seemed to be a very good anti spyware program. Have also been using aSquared along with Windows Defender. I guess I got carried away and paranoid. But aSquared has become a monster bother and soI may uninstall it.
I use Avast antivirus and found it to be the best
Most successful software
serach-and-destroy [broken link removed] has been the only software to successfully detect blocks and removes spyware, adware, pop-ups. It is the only one which could defend my computer from hijackers. No other software could do it. It’s simply great.
A great help
As a student I was always worried regarding my presentation files getting corrupt.
Re-doing all my files was always an extra work for me. But After installing serach-and-destroy [broken link removed] all the problems regarding my pc were solved. Now I am least worried about trojan invading my pc. This software has helped me to a great extend to make my pc spyware free.
Leo,
thanks for all your good advice. In this summary, you don’t say anything about “Registry Scan software to Repair Process Errors”. I’ve seen them advertised here and there, and also on your website. I have recently had a virus attack, and Kaspersky personnel suggested that it (the virus) might have changed the registry. Fortunately, with their help, the virus was finally identified and eliminated without having to recourse to working at the regisrty. I know from your previous comments that if something is advertised on your site, it does not mean that you recommend it. Fine, but if you say nothing about registry scan and repair softwares, does it mean you do NOT recommend them, and of course my main question is: what do they do?
Thanks in particular for your advice concerning backup. I retired recently, and realized that at work our IS department had taken care of that for us, … Now, I have to take care of myself. If it was not for your excellent newsletter, I would be lost!
A million thanks (sorry to be so long)
30-Nov-2008
This happened the last time, you never answered me! Norton told us Cyber defender are “Hackers’ causing computers to become well, screwed up? Question: I have CA or Ca security for Anti-virus&Spyware only as I could not get Norton again, bec/ I cannot use credit card on comp/ They gave me free 3 mo’s w/ ACER then another 3 when CyberD messed me up!”Why did 17 then 42 pages show up STACKED w/ connecting at top of empty page one by one until it finally stopped beeping? Will this happen again/was it a “glitch” cause it happened once before a while ago,long time ago/ Does this happen only w/ dial-up bec/ I cannot get DSL/Answer me please or I’ll go away, it is a sad thing to be ignored and ran all over the place!
Leo, Your sight is so informative, I’ve written down AVAST& MicrosoftDefender/Firewall& Serach-and Desroy[broken link removed??]means what? Are those all I really need?WindowsVista IS part of Vista, but are they free too? Is AVAST[free] better, your opinion only? Please, why did those empty pages STACK up after leaving site,kept r-clicking to “close” until they ALL did, just tell me that if you cannot tell me the others until another time, you’re intellegent AND knowledgeable not always a duo, you know!
I have been using Norton AntiVirus since Symantec bought IBM’s AntiVirus program. At the time, IBM’s software and research facility for AntiVirus software seemed to have the best credibility I could find.
My firm had a McAfee site license, but I found some items that McAfee would not catch (on floppies) would be blocked and removed by Norton (NAV).
The 2009 version of NAV seems to have gotten many things right. Symantec has shrunk the side effects of NAV – boot up is only marginally slower after NAV is installed; scans seem to truly run in the background, and don’t drag down other processes that are running; the auto update feature has two modes, and neither have a negative impact on other programs; web browsing is not much slower than before NAV is installed.
I used to agree with Leo’s assertion about security suites. But after reading PC Magazine’s thorough review (Jan 2009) of Norton Internet Security, it seems that the anti-spyware portion of NAV is as effective as any of the others. NAV is the anti-virus & anti-spyware portion of NIS.
Here’s the best part of Norton – SystemWorks Std. Ed. includes NAV as well as Norton Utilities.
I have never had any success with Ad-Aware or SpyBot S&D. In clearing out spyware from others’ PCs, I’ve used SpySweeper to much success.
In any case, I have historically always recommended NAV for the best anti-virus protection, despite some installation & upgrade problems with this software, as well as the performance hits.
Now, with the 2009 version, the performance hits have been minimized.
It would be great to find free security apps, as there are many fantastic free apps out there. But when it comes to security, free does not seem good enough for me.
Now, I will wait for the newest version to be offered for free or close to it. I have seen NAV 2009 offered for free when buying tax software, NIS 2009 and Norton 360 for under $20, but not yet for NSW 2009.
AVG is pretty good and it goes well with a peeson on a tight budget.
There are 3 good free anti-virus products:-
AVG, Avast and Avira. Of these three AVG has the biggest performance hit so I prefer Avira or Avast, especially on low powered machines.
I just uninstalled AVG and installed Avast (free for personal computers). AVG did not pick up the virus software that Avast found. It seems to do a better job and its FREE!
Janice
About keeping your computer up to date: Windows Update is not enough! In addition to Windows itself, it is important to update all programs that you use for
This includes not only browsers, mail, chat, and P2P programs, but also office programs, PDF readers, media players, archive/compression software etc…
I have three recommendations for helping with that:
For a free firewall, I recommend Sunbelt. At the beginning, the popups asking what you want to do are slightly annoying, but once it learns your habits, it works well. And it consumes little resources. I have also used Avira Free Anti-Virus for years, without a hitch.
I cant decide What to get Kaspersky or SYMANTEC, please be honest. Which is better
I find that GFI Backup works equally well for hard disk backups. it does not do any hard disk clones, but i can do without this feature considering that GFI Backup does what it does for free!
i was using avg free some time back and some geeks in west australia recommended i use NOD32. the said its the best and i believe it. ive had 0 probs since i got it. nothing ever seems to get by it. id recommend it over anything. regards
i used avg free for 3 weeks then it or windows failed.. i had windows security telling me that avg free was turned off, when i went to avg it said it was on all things fine no need to do anything.. so you must ask which one was lying. i dont know. because i’m using windows avg had to go. sorry dudes didn’t work for me. now i use something else not a problem since
Oh, c’mon. The millons of Internet users with only a single PC are not going to buy a separate machine just to use as a firewall. However, they certainly do need a firewall, so it has to be software.
08-Aug-2009
Like you Leo, I have been using CA Antivirus for years – but I won’t be renewing my subscriptions. The 2009 suite (I know you don’t like suites!) seems to be a real resource hog. I switched my wife’s computer (worst affected by the CA performance drain) to the free version of Avira and after a week of restored performance, bought a licensed version. No regrets. When my CA license expires, I plan to switch all my PCs to Avira.
12-Aug-2009
I’m surprised not to see Malwarebyte’s AntiMalware program on your list of recommendations. I’ve cleaned up my own as well as my kids’ machines along with those of friends and family with AMW when nothing else would fully do the trick. Myself and many people I know are happy to recommend AMW to others.
It’s a free download and stays on your system without running in the background, so it’s not a real time scanner but when you have a problem you launch it, download the updated files and then scan (either quick or deep version).
I’ve been amazed to see AMW pick up dozens and even hundreds of issues (including worms, dialers and trojans) on various machines. The effects are instant and we’ve all had our speedy, happy computers back in working order.
I would really like to hear about Norten 360. I am a beginner and thought it was good,but what do i know? Thanks
12-Sep-2009
I’d like to go against the grain and put in a vote for all-in-ones. I’ve been a Norton user for years and it has progressively become less of a system hog so that now it runs unnoticed. Using rebates, I never pay more than $9.99, which I paid for my current Norton 360 Premium for 3 machines. You install it and forget it. It does everything and I have never had a virus infection even though I sometimes visit dangerous sites (because I write about Internet security, among other things, for a living). I also run the paid version of Malware bytes as extra backup — it’s fast and effective at spotting troublesome sites. As Leo says, people have different needs and solutions. Norton 360 is mine.
I definitely agree with your position on “suites”. I used Avanquest’s SystemSuite Pro (SSP) for several years. While it’s convenient to have a do-all like that, its AV and (especially) AS programs are weak. Firewall and PC cleanup routines were good. However, after getting a new computer middle of last year, SSP conflicted with the TPM (trusted program module) on the mobo, and I had to stop using it. I replaced it with Avira AntiVir (#1-rated free AV by Consumer Reports and PC World), Spyware Blaster, Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware, and use Windows’ firewall. Have not had a virus or serious spyware infection in 2 years. Also tried Avast for awhile, and other than it’s kludgy interface, found it to be almost as good as Avira.
I’m surprised that you didn’t mention any of these except Avast. CA and AVG were probably very good 5+ years ago, but not today. Avira is rated the #1 free AV by both Consumer Reports and just this month by PC World.
BitDefender Internet Security 2010
Have been using it for over 10 years. European, so folks have not really heard of it. Have installed it on over 300 PCs, including all family members. Not one of them has had a virus or (fill-in-blank)ware problem. Ever.
The Zeus virus that can grab your bank double verification codes is stopped cold. Hourly updates if wanted.
At .03 cents a day, it is worth it. Don’t go to Starbucks for 2 days and you got it covered.
ps Also have SpyBot S&D.
I suspect you may have created this article before Microsoft Security Essentials was released. M$ Security essentials has received good reviews.
btw I use all your other recommended tools at times.
07-Oct-2009
What is “CA” thaat is taked about in the comments section?
07-Oct-2009
Like you Leo, I have been using CA Antivirus for years – (I know you don’t like suites!)
<Leo’s reply>
Yes, I’m moving away from CA myself, and will be updating my recommendations as time permits.
Mary: but you said much earlier that you didn’t like suites and couldn’t recommend them so why have you been using CA?
We have used CA in this house for years and have had no problems. There may be some lack of ‘speed’ but if you lock your house door you are slowed down when wanting to get out!
Mary
CA does also have a suite, which is a different product than the stand-alone anti-virus. And you know my position on suites.
07-Oct-2009
As someone already mentioned it, MalwareBytes is (in my humble opinion) by far the best free scanner on the market. It digs out everything that shouldn’t be there. As primary AV I use Eset Smart Security, but AMB finds things which Eset has overlooked. I scan with it once a week, and have never been in trouble!
Some months ago I started using Microsoft LiveOneCare, and am quite pleased with it. Having used many of the others it dawned on me to try MS. It seems to have worked well and also backs up my files. So far so good. John Mutch
Am amazed that ESET Nod 32 does not get a mention been useing it for years with NO problems .
COMODO INTERNET SECURITY AND BIO CLEAN = BRILLIANT
This is a free for home use, all in one suite, as the 2 programs compliment each other. It takes a bit to learn them, especially heuristic alerts, but its worth the effort. Do NOT run them with anything else, or you will have software conflict.
Comodo performs as well, or better, than all the other security software, including some excellent payware. However, nothing is going to be a perfect solution, so don’t beat yourself over this.
I have used these for 2 years now, rarely scan, and have no problems. I highly recommend this security solution. Regards Bill3.
I’ve used Vipre for some time and find to be one of the best out there.
I CURRENTLY USE AVAST FREE ANTIVIRUS + TC-SPY ANTISPY + COMODO FREE PERSONAL FIREWALL, and can honestly say my computer runs like a dream very quick,I use TC-spy for quick scans results are excellent, I can recomend these programs which are all free.
I have used CA for a year & had no problems, but when the renual date came up I didn’t feel like the cost was worth it especially with all the good freebees you can get.But now I can’t get it off my computer & it keeps popping up saying I need to renew, this has gone on for about three months now & no matter what I do I can’t get it off my pc.
i had avg free and when i got my NOD32 it found two viruses that avg missed and one other thing i dont recall what. i have not had a single problem with NOD32 ever. great program and reasonable too.
I have used AVG Free Antivirus but many of the viruses go undectected despite performing all regular updates. So I don’t use it now.
Commodo is good so, really very advanced with all sorts of Rules you may want to setup, shows active applications connecting to the internet and much more. The Antivirus seems good too. It also protects most vulnerable Windows Registry keys that are often modified by Malware. Plus the option of getting surveyed detailed data with what most users did (like they allowed / denied access) when they encountered the same Question from the Firewall.
But one Big drawback with it is the size of the software plus the size of the updates, it takes. A massive 250MB. If you have a 1 GB capped plan, you are doomed. One more problem is that the whole update needs to be downloaded as One-piece, Every single disconnect and you have to start the update all over again. Plus the website doesn’t give Standalone Update Packs, that can be singly downloaded and installed on Multiple PCs.
Otherwise once installed and updated, Comodo is something which really guards you. I once used to have a combination of NAT router + ZoneAlarm + AVG Antivirus and did malware scanning manually. But once I installed Comodo, I was satisfied. Yes safe browsing habits do count.
Ravi.
Some virus scanners (eg avira) claim to protect against both viruses and spyware; could this conflict with let’s say windows defender?
07-Oct-2009
I would also recommend Winpatrol from http://www.winpatrol.com/ – it’s like UAC in Vista but it doesn’t complain everytime you move your mouse
It only warns you if you startup options are being changed. I have XP but I tempted to tell Vista users to disable UAC and install Winpatrol instead.
http://hitanykey.webs.com/
To Claude: http://homeofficeforum.ca.com/homeofficeforum/showthread.php?t=46
To Rien: Nope!
08-Oct-2009
There’s a new kid on the block as of Tuesday, September 28, and that’s Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE). It include an anti-virus and an anti-spyware tool and has gotten a lot of positive feedback (including mine), and best of all, it’s completely free.
I’ve been running it on 3 PCs while it was in beta test and have installed it on all my PC since it was officially released. Runs on XP, Vista and Win 7 (both 32 & 64 bit).
08-Oct-2009
WinXP SP3, IE7 both w/ latest updates. Listing what I use (all freeware).
-Comodo personal Firewall. Better than Norton or Zone Alarm!
-Dump AVI, go with AVAST!. No begging, updates constantly, fully configurable AV.
-Spybot S+D, Super Anti-Spyware, SpywareBlaster.
Those cover that prob.
-CCleaner for everyday temp etc. file deletion.
The included Registry scanner/cleaner is great for ridding the hd of left-overs after uninstalling programs.
-Comodo System Cleaner for monthly cleanup that CC might miss, or if things on pc get slow.
-I also have tools for checking/controlling- internet connection speed, running processes, running services, start-ups, system resources, sys. config, and emergency recovery tools, both on the pc and CDROM… You get the idea lol. The main thing is to find what works for YOU, and then stick with it! Paid or free, if it doesn’t do what you need without confusion or work-arounds, then it’s value is zer0.
John N.
Has anyoneever heard of the Free Advanced System Care and Sytem Care 360? I think these are anti-spyware type products, but not sure. Can anyone shed some light?
iam using advanced system care 360 free version and it seems to work quite well for me lot of tools on this one as for supraantispyware it used to be a good one as well but something happened and cant seem to get the updates sometype of problem there !
For years I used the free version of Spybot Search and Destroy, but I’ve read that it is no longer the good program it used to be. Yet I see that you recommend it. Could you comment on this?
10-Oct-2009
I would like to say that I have been using BitDefender Internet Security from the 2008 version to the 2010 version. It seems there are always issues after installing the new version, but eventually they get worked out. This program has done a good job for me and runs very well on my Vista Home Premium machine. It doesn’t seem to take up a lot of system resources at all. The only thing I would warn about is their tech support leaves something to be desired. Other than that, I would have to recommend this program from my experience. I also use Malwarebytes and SUPERAntispyware as on demand scanners.
Leo, to the best of my knowledge and belief, “disrecommend” is not a word, and even if it was is clunky and unworthy of you. Would any of the following synonyms better serve your intention:
Discourage, disapprove, disincline, dissuade, oppose, disparage, reject, condemn, discount, discredit, disdain, disfavor, repudiate, rule out, be skeptical of, call into question?
11-Oct-2009
After looking through all the comments, I was surprised that Sandboxie was only mentioned once. This program should be a must have for 1) protecting the operating system from web threats 2) testing new programs, which, if they do not work well, confines the problems to the sandbox, which can easily be deleted. 3) Especially good for online banking, since a separate sandbox can be set up for each bank. Conduct your transactions (don’t visit other web sites in the same sandbox, log out, close the browser and delete the contents of the sandbox after each banking session.
12-Oct-2009
What do you say about Sophos? been using for a year and did not get into major trouble with the kind of protection it uses. .
Leo, I think the comments on grammar are a waste of time.
You have numerous mistakes in the little I have seen so far, but who cares. If I can understand what you are saying, that to me is what matters.
None of the words that are listed get the message
across better than “disrecommend”, period. This is the first time I’ve been to your site and I get the feeling you are probably a one man operation and don’t have someone on staff to just proof read and check your grammar. The only thing that concerns me is how good are your answers to our problems, not how they are written. If I can understand the answers, that’s enough for me.
Keep them coming, Ed Lada, PA
I’ve just purchased an Iomega 500GB External HD and am using the McAfee ‘Total Protection’ Backup/Restore feature to Archive my data (Full Backup Daily and Change Backup every 2 Hours). I’m told that the’Backup/Restore’ feature in McAfee can NOT be configured to do a Total Image Archive. If so, can I partition the External Drive to allow continued use of McAfee ‘Backup/Restore’ and use another S/W product to allow me to do a Total Image Archive? If so, what S/W do you recommend and HOW do I partition the External HD? I see that you are recommending Acronis for OnLine Backup, but I’m not sure how to accomplish Local Total Image Backup.
i dl pctools spyware dr. and my pc is dragging. i get alot of probs just trying to get online. i wanted you to know.
I just have to ares Avast and Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware, is that ok and should I download AVG Free or Avira Free just to be on the safe side ?
Like the poster above, I too use and love Sandboxie and have peace of mind when doing my banking transactions, it’s a fantastic product
Hi Leo. I have got a nice new Windows 7 machine running,Spywareblaster,Malwarebytes (paid) and Secunia PSI.(which I wholly recommend to all and sundry. Do you think it would do any harm to have Defender running as well? I know two Anti Virus programs running concurrently is a big no no! But how about Anti Spyware?
Leo, I have been using Vipre Antivirus software from Sunbelt Software for about a year now. It appears to have won awards in several areas. I wonder how it stacks up against some of the other AV software you’ve reviewed.
Thanks, John
What do you think of ParetoLogic’s Anti-Virus Plus? As far as I can tell, it has been working fine on my computer.
Gday Leo,
I have downloaded Microsoft Security Essentials on my Windows XP. Apart from this programme, I have a Windows Firewall running, and Malawarebytes. Is this sufficent protection for my computer please?
Thank you and Happy New Year from Australia.
I use Microsoft Security Essentials, Microsoft Firewall, Malwarebytes, HiJackThis and Spybot.
I’m not a fanboy of Microsoft, but will use their products when they provide the needed service.
I have been running the above combination for over 3mos. and no problems. I run checks with Malwarebytes, HiJackThis and Spybot periodically.
MSSE runs nightly and has updates about 3 or more times a day, so it is up to date.
My computer flies. Windows 7 32bit, 3gb ram, 250gb disk integrated graphics (Intel) 17″ Toshiba. Boots up in 40secs.
PS. I bought Kaspersky Internet Suite last year but found that it hogged the system and caused the bootup to be about 1min 30secs.
Great computer so far; I’ve had it for 1 year.
I myself use a good ol’ fashioned padlock on mah comp
The padlock didn’t work, seems that bolt cutters can easily get past it
article interesting. did not see Norton listed at all. I have heard good and bad things about them but do not understand. Most says it buggs the computer down but they do not say how or why? Would be very interested on some info about the norton security good or bad or both I do run the premier addition 360 and this past year has been the best but the first 2 years along with vista premium has been a learning experience. Windows vista has been replaced with windows 7 but so far i like my vista. Just very curious about it all.thank you
I used to use McAfee when it came with the computer and would just keep buying the yearly upgrade. Then computers starting comeing with Norton, so I would just keep it and buy the yearly upgrades. In May 2009, I switched to Trend Micro Internet Security Pro v.2. It will let you install on up to 3 pc’s. I love it. It came with Anti-virus, spy-ware detection, firewall, and a system tuner. I think it works fantastic. I had Windows XP until January 4, 2010 when I upgraded to Windows 7. I really like that too.
Leo,
Your recommendation on security software is not too perfect. my expectation is that you will not give name of any product. but analysis what and how they function. If you wishes to know what i am talking about. have a look at this site toptenreviews.com they are independent research body that rate softwares on a given perameter.
thanks.
OKE S.O.
I still stick with my Norton Internet Security suite. I can’t really accept that a company with that reputation would sell a half-baked, cut cornered product to consumers! Such a strategy could backfire on them worse than Starforce’s DRM software did on them! As a few commented here, around 2007 or 2008 it did become a resource hog and i tried a couple other brands. One needed to be put back into learn mode every 2 weeks because it resulted in boot-up times of nearly 15 minutes -yes fifteen minutes- and at times 6 minutes for a web page to change once it was loaded. Another had no feature to pause a scan and it was impossible to do anything while a scan was running. I went back to Norton in 2009 and they have revised it so it is nowhere near the resource monster it once was. All I can say is i have used Norton’s products exclusively since having a PC and the only time I ever had a problem was picking up an infection when it was in the wild. It was one of those that found its way into my computer through the Internet connection rather than as an attachment or something I did. My computer is on 24/7 and has been for years. The trend now seems to be rather than a simple cookie cutter match files against a database to find malware to watching for suspicious activity that may indicate behavior that viruses would follow. This real time approach definitely seems to have its advantages. The problem with what you recommend is that it’s hard enough to get people to install this software and keep it updated to begin with using a single suite program, but realistically, if they need to start doing this with several sites and programs it isn’t going to get done. I know that about all have auto-update features but from the IT boards and other computer boards I frequent, no matter what safety measures are installed, what safe practices are recommended, people will still find a way to to get around them.
Leo, I’m surprised you didn’t mention ‘SuperAntispyware’! It is excellent for picking up ad-tracking cookies that ‘Avira’ and ‘Malwarebytes’ misses. Other than that, my only other suggestion is ‘CCleaner’ for “Index.dat” files in particular.
I hate the all-in-one suites. I’ve used many over the years. They almost always bog a system down.
If you had to buy anti-virus, I like Symantec Norton Anti-virus 2010. This can always change. I do use and install AVG 9.0 free, and Malwarebytes on all my client’s PCs. I also use CCleaner and IOBit Advanced System Care and Smart Defrag for regular maintenence. Tip – Run CCleaner before all scans to eliminate wasted time scanning junk files.
Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) is a first class anti virus and anti malware protection. Don’t let that Windows Defender look fool you, it’s lightweight and effective. And the built in Windows Firewall should be fine for most, as long as you configure it right. When it comes to public spots, check “Don’t allow exemptions”. And the most important part of your protection: YOU! Safe browsing habits and having strong passwords helps a lot. Stay away from porn and social networking sites, a lot of viruses comes from those places. And email, don’t open spam, unless it was misplaced and you know the sender. And your regular emails that aren’t labeled as spam, look carefully. If you don’t know the person or company, mark it as spam and trash it unopened. Common since goes a long way towards staying protected and virus free. And if you’re one of those porn freaks or social networkers, buy a cheap laptop and don’t risk your main system.
Whick AV product allows one to add sites to be ‘blocked’ , eg, if its a popup generated by an ‘ok’ browser site?
Where can i make the ‘ok’ site ‘not ok’?
What about ZoneAlarm products?
Thanks
I am still using StopZilla on my notebook. I am elderly and they gave me a lifetime update. Stop Zilla does a good job. I also have Avest on my desktop and laptop. No problems in a year.
I would add Firetrust Mailwasher to the security list. It stands between your server and computer to pre-screen email, allowing you to delete mail from the server before it’s downloaded. The free version provides good basic service, while the pay version includes a larger number of screening options and spam tool screens.
The same company makes Benign, which strips out and makes harmless various email infections. It’s also available in both free and pay versions.
I’ve used both for years and wouldn’t want to be without them.
My local pc guru suggested using Malwarebytes & either Avira or Avast for security. I installed Malwarebytes @ Avast some months ago on my XP Home, and since then have had no problems. Both are free programs & seem to do the trick.
So between my Guru’s advice & yours, Leo, I am having trouble free computing. Many thanx.
Leo,
Appreciate what you do! FYI: My experience with the AVG browser add-in has been positive. The little green stars can be annoying at times, but I feel comfortable knowing the site is safe. Hope it really works as presented!
Also, I have no complaints with the following security and maintenance software. Some are run monthly and some weekly. AVG is run nightly.
You mentioned some of these in your article.
AVG free
GlarySoft
Windows Built-ins
Anti-Malwarebytes
ERUNT (Auto registry backup upon reboot)
Backup ‘My Documents’ to external HD
No issues, no complaints, no fees, no cost.
Perhaps this will be helpful to a reader in some way.
Thanks again!
I have read elsewhere, quite a lot of enthusiastic opinion of Sunbelt’s Vipre Antivirus Premium, and have recently installed a 30 day free trial.
I dont see any mention of it here at all.
Any particular reason ?
07-Apr-2010
My Spyware Doctor will be out in May. Can’t afford to keep it. What other free scanner would you recomend in place of it?
07-Apr-2010
Hello,
Great article. I am wary of free products though. In principle there is no such a thing as a free lunch… Why are these free in the first place ?
I am running my own one man band business and therefore I purchased my laptop security softwares:
McAfee Total Protection Service: I am wondering and have strong doubts if this really works since I have not seen any performances tests throughour internet but only marketing hype… My laptop caught viruses which went un-detected and all the malware detected thus far are exclusively cookies… Would you have any experience with this product ?
Yoggie Gatekeeper Card Pro: This is a hardware miniature firewall with its own CPU, SSHD, RAM and hardened Linus OS running 13 or 14 security suites. It seems to be working well but again I’d be happy to read about performances tests.
Im studying IT for the first time. Your article clearly explained to me the need for a firewall and the type I should use. Thank you
Good Article.
I’m using Microsoft security essentials. Does it give better protection?
Is there anything that i need to know about that anti virus
Good Article, I like http://www.trustdownload.com/Antivirus-and-Spyware-Cleaners/Antivirus/File-Lock.html is verry simple.
I’m “In the Business” with 10 years of experience. I agree with the article but wish you had been a bit more explicit about the difference between spyware and conventional viruses and worms. Typical blended threats require a solution for both for any Internet connected computer. malwarebytes and Spybot are both tools I use but I would be seriously handicapped without Superantispyware.com
Has anyone had success running Windows Defender and MSE together? I have tried on a Vista laptop and it just freezes.
14-May-2010
To answer David Ryley’s post, I have Defender + MSE + Avast Free running on this laptop (Win 7) without any problems.
I used Zone Alarm for a week until I realized it was bugging up my pc, so I restored and got rid of it since the windows firewall seems to do the job pretty well as per reviews. It’s almost certain that Microsoft is constantly updating all these built in programs with features and abilities to get rid of competition….and I’m buying into it!
I have used Avast for many years without issue — recently I had to reload Vista due to harddrive crash — and decided to use Avira based on Consumer Report & Leo’s recommendation.
I plan to un-install soon as this program is causing 10-20 second ‘hangs’ in the OS — nothing will work while it’s doing it’s thing. Once it’s done updating… everything is good again — anyone else experience this?
Excellent Leo, Just excellent. You are current, relevant and, well, excellent. You are one of the few sites I subscribe to. Thank you. Scott=
Thanks for the Great info, Leo .. My Norton 360 is about to expire and I want the best .. I don’t mind paying $$ but I want the best….
Have you tried avast as a free anti-virus alternative? I’ve been using that for a year now on three laptops, ranging from old (PIII 500 Mhz) to newer (dual core 2ghz) and find that I have had few av problems since I started using it, and that it slows down my machines less than other packages. It also has a gamer mode that is perfect for my impatient, non-technical family. I also, once a week, use the free malwarebytes to do a complete system scan, after turning avast off.
The two together have greatly dimished the number of XP systems I’ve had to restore. My wife hates Vista and isn’t yet convinced that 7 is a good upgrade, so we’re stuck with XP viruses for a while.
I run Linux for my own use. It’s just so much easier to not have to worry about viruses. I’m probably one of the few Linux users out there who DOESN’T want to see Linux become as popular as MS Windows.
I recommend Comodo.com and use it. It has a combo firewall (excellent) anti-melware and anti-Virus program and it’s free. I’ve used it for quite awhile now and the latest version now has a new feature called sandbox. There is a separate software program you can buy that does the same thing that is not from Comodo. I just found out about it. What sandbox does is completely isolate the program from the rest of your computer. Very good stuff.
Sage and consistent, as always Leo… good work! I’ll put my two cents in here and offer my maintenance routine which appears to be quite similar to yours. Sometimes folks DO get caught up in redundancy. What I use is simple, easy to use, all free, and, I think, sans redundancy.
I’ve used AVG free, GlarySoft, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, and the Windows Firewall for years. No complaints on these freebies! Checkdisk (for DOS level scan,) Scandisk (for Windows level scan,) Disk Cleanup, and Defrag. Updating and doing a backup regularly is a must. I use a spreadsheet to list all maintenance tasks. Some are weekly tasks and some are monthly tasks. I may spend 20 minutes a week in front of the screen, but mostly run maintenance programs as I do other things around the house. I may try new freebies after reading reviews (ie. My Defrag 4.3.1) but try maintain a schedule that works and is simple.
Backup, Backup, Backup! I bought a 1Tb ext. HD about a year ago. ($100) I use this to copy ‘My Documents’ weekly. Based on your recommendation Leo, I plan to change my backup routine to an imaging routine for the HD. Macrium (again free) is what I’ll start with.
For those with limited HD space, (and why at today’s prices,) copying ‘My Documents’ does provide an elemental ‘data’ backup routine. All of us ARE keeping data somewhere in the ‘My Documents’ folder right? Good!
I keep a System Boot Disk, and the CD’s for XP and MS Office. All other programs I use can be downloaded from the web. Having a HD image, however, DOES make sense in terms of ease of recovery.
As others have mentioned, I found you on another website (the one with the Pit in it!) and followed you here.
Kudos to the chef for a much needed service.
Love the archives… (OMG)
Jon
Hello I am kind of dumb founded on all the Internet security question’s that people have. I bought my computer pre-loaded like most people now days and the security that came with Microsoft sucked it let 3 Virus’s into my computer and caused a great deal of grief so I went looking for something new and after being told by every store I went to I was told to buy Kaspersky and I bought it, I have been with them now for over a year and it is the very best, as of right now it has stopped 6 virus’s, 2 trojans and 3 malware from getting into my computer and it is so easy to use and it come’s with everything you can think of, firewall, email security, malware, virtual keyboard,Anti-spam, two way firewll, parental controls, proactive protection and it up-date’s your computer every single hour around the clock, plus so much more. It has worked so well I just bought 2 more years of Kaspersky Internet Security, my wife’s business computers also has Kaspersky and my children’s computers also. I recommend Kaspersky if you want the job done right. I dissagree about windows defender I have had so many problems with Microsoft’s so called security it set me back months on a book I am writing, after installing Kaspersky I have had ZERO problems Kaspersky stops it all and I will use them only from now on. But people can buy what ever they want but after they all fail then at least read about Kaspersky Internet Security and no I do not own any stock or get paid for anything I just believe they are great. Thank You
Tom
My ISP TWC/Roadrunner provides a free perpetual
license for CA’s Security Suite. I use their
AV, Spybot S&D (for other malware),
and Windows’ built in Firewall (+ a gateway / NAT router).
Currently using Acronis’ Backup & Recovery 10 Workstation
(more or less the same as True Image Home 2010)
with image backups and ability to bare metal restore.
I’ve been happy with Acronis’ software, it does what it says it will do.
There are plenty of free antispyware/malware programs you can download that do a great job.
http://www.onlinecomputertips.com/spyware/
Another program to consider is the free Immunet from
http://www.immunet.com/main/index3.html
which can be run along side other AV programs to add another level of protection.
I too have not been impressed with all-in-one security suites. Some were horrible and took up way too many resources. That is until now. I strongly recommend VIPRE Premium from Sunbelt Software. It’s the best all-in-one I have used (anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall). It doesn’t eat up resources, runs non-intrusively, is updated frequently and is easy to set up and use. The price is very reasonable and a home site license is within most people’s budgets. I don’t work for the company and of course the product might not work for everyone. Also I do cross check with other scanners and products now and then to make sure it is performing it’s job.
No product finds every little thing. The free products are top quality these days, but I never found one quite as good as VIPRE and as far as I know there aren’t many free all-in-one products and few, if any, that do a comprehensive job. When you load several programs for security, you can run low on memory or resources. VIPRE can replace several things and use less memory and resources overall. It’s not as well known as some of the others, but Sunbelt is a large company with a lot of loyal users and just recently merged with another company. I mention it because it runs so well on all my PCs and because I seldom see it mentioned in review or recommendations. I have had less issues with it than any other security software. It really is that good.
I have read the above article and do take on board what Leo says but for the past 3 years I have used Norton for my protection and have NEVER had any problems… As far as I am concerned my PC is safe and secure… As always Leo your advice is most welcome and thank you for sharing your wealth of experience with me {and everyone else}… 4s..
I highly recommend PC Pitstop Optimize3 and Advanced System Care for general, day-to-day maintenance and to keep the cobwebs cleared out. I run the Pro version of ASC, so it does it automatically, but I run PC Pitstop once a week.
Knock on wood… my machine runs very well under heavy use (8+ hours per day).
I’ve used the paid versions of Zone Alarm for many years, largely on the recommendation of an IT manager at my late wife’s company. Katie was a programmer who could make a mainframe sit up and beg, but was clueless about Windows. She relied on advice from her IT guru at work, and he recommended ZA as stable, effective, efficient and safe – and reasonably priced. After a long chat with him during which he explained all his reasoning why it was better than the rest, I gave their trial a try, and paid my fee at the end. It does exactly what it says on the tin, and does not fill my machine with all kinds of spurious bits and pieces that make it impossible to uninstall as Norton does. I have had no problems with any kind of malware over the seven or eight years I have used it.
As for free apps, ZA’s firewall is two-way, unlike the Windows one, while the latest AVG has both anti-virus and anti spyware included. I install these for any friends who don’t want to pay for their security. I’m sorry, but I don’t trust Microsoft to make a decent security application in view of the fact that most security holes are the result of the poor programming of their own applications.
I personally had a bit of trouble with microsoft security essentials.
I have been using the avast free home virsion,and its doing real well.
Spot on – MS Security Essentials is awesome.
I use AVAST on all my PCs. Over the years,I’ve found it to be steadfast & trustworthy (although sometimes (???) it tends to use slightly more resources than it should). In the more than three years I’ve been using it, I’ve only gotten a virus only once. (To a lot of folks, that would’ve probably been one too many times.) Before AVAST, AVG was the anti-virus of my choice. I haven’t had the opportunity to try MSSE yet (if I ever lose faith in AVAST, it’s second in line as the AV of choice). Thanks!
I use since over a year now Norton Internet Security.In the past I used also freeware, like AVG,Spybot,Ad-Aware, Zone Alarm aso. But over the time I got tired to manage all this free ware, new versions and updates. My recommendation, get a software that fit’s your need and stick with it. Have a backup ready, in case of ……
The AVG update will not install if MSE is installed.
20-Oct-2010
I recently had a heinous infection on my main computer, which came simply from visiting an infected website. I was running avg, it did not stop it, and became disabled. Even MalwareBytes was helpless. Online scanning was disabled, as was system restore. The only thing that fixed it, was HitMan Pro. I downloaded a trial version on another computer, put it on a usb drive, and transferred it. Problem solved. Pretty scary to have something that MalwareBytes could not fix.
norton system works 2003 had norton ghost as one of its included software. i feel happy to have purchased the nsw2003 for rs. 3000 plus. the norton ghost componant alone paid its full value, during these 7 years. i regularly take a ghost backup of my c drive weekly and on innumerable occassions it saved my skin during virus attacks, incompatible new software drivers etc. it works wonderfully even in winxp. i have not tried in win7 but i hope it works. norton ghost2003 has the ability to backup not only windows drives but can also comfortably backup and restore all variations of linux. i strongly feel leo can without hesitation recommend it. but the million dollor question is, where from new readers download/purchase nsw2003.
I agree exactly with Leo’s recommendations. On two occasions friends broght me their machines completely blocked, ie cont/alt/delete disabled, antivirus dead, malwarebytes would not run, and everything else marked as infected. I had to resort to Combifix which allowed me to run MBAM and remove the phony antivirus. By the way the last time I removed the Norton bloatware it took me three days to remove all the pieces. Thanks Leo for simple easily managed suggestions.
Thanks for the good advice Leo, especially regarding backups.
I also use Acronis for these operations; however I think you should reword your recommendation to specify their 2010 version only.
The 2011 version is a real dog at this stage.
It has compatibility problems with earlier existing 2010 version backups, and the program “hangs” in many situations. The user interface is a triumph for “presentation designers” over practical functionality.
One is forced to scroll for information that was previously all on the one screen in the earlier version- I have never seen so much wasted screenspace on what should be essentially a utility “function orientated” program.
It’s a disaster- lets hope they can soon get it right.
Keep up the good work.
Hi Leo, firstly I can’t thank you enough for such amazingly useful information.
It’s so great that people in my situation with little computer knowledge have such a great resource which is what I found in your articles & I can’t thank you enough for this.
So my situation is that recently bought a laptop computer which came with 60 days free Norton Protection. I’m nearing the end of my 60 days & I’m receiving alerts stating that I must buy the paid version. This is at a cost of about $70.
Being a first year full time law student Iam unable to afford this & I’m really worried about that.
I’m very interested in installing “Microsoft security essentials” or “Malwarebytes Anti-malware”
I’m wondering, if I install these free versions will they come with the same complete level of protection as Norton?
Also, I’m assuming I have to uninstall Norton before installing anything else. If so how do I go about doing uninstalling from my windows 7 laptop?
Another question (& I hope you don’t mind so many) but since I bought my laptop I have been getting messages to “back-up” my computer. When I press on these icons I find them difficult to understand. I follow the steps & it always says “back-up not complete” or “back-up failed”.
Is there an easy way to do a back up on my computer?
Thanks so much once again, your time is greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Davina… :0)
Leo I disagree with you in regard Microsoft Security Essenials. I had installed this product along with Avast and Zone Alarm and all were up to date. I was downloading from Brothersoft and Avast was the only software that picked up and threw out a massively dangerous Trojan.Also the m/s security essential software being run prior to, never picks up any of the spyware malware that SuperAntiSpyware does. Love reading you newsletter keep up the great work. Thanks
Dyson
01-Dec-2010
The current update for AVG Free wants Microsoft Security Essentials removed before it will install. Is that a good idea? Can Essentials be installed after AVG is updated?
01-Dec-2010
I am also a Microsoft Security Essentials convert …I run Winpatrol free version as well because it has many good features and does not compete or conflict with MSSE because it performs other ‘guard duties’
My PC has been clean for over a year now.
I have Norton and it scans all of my incoming mail and downloads and tells me if it is not good
Here’s my problem with Avast, AVG, Avira, etc. It’s not often, very rare in fact, but there comes a time when I want to temporarily shut down the antivirus program, and there is no facility to do so. My only recourse is to completely uninstall the entire program, which is cumbersome. If that’s my choice, then I’ll just leave it uninstalled. Perhaps that’s changed now, but for too long it was the status quo and I’m not going to keep trying out a product to see if it’s improved at some point.
It’s good to be validated that MSE and Malwarebytes (and a NAT router) are good choices, and that Spybot is still a good alternative. Ad-aware was good, but like the AV programs, it got bossy when it installed elements that couldn’t be turned off without uninstalling the entire thing.
I JUST PURCHASED ” KASPERSKY” DID I MAKE A MISTAKE ?
HOW DO U RATE THIS SOFTWARE ?
02-Dec-2010
Several years ago I used Norton and Symantec but disliked the way they operated and their high subscription cost. I switched to Kaspersky Internet Security (KIS) in 2007 and have it on three home PCs and laptops. It is, of course, important to keep your subscription active, so you get the security updates (daily, typically). When renewing my subscription, I always go for the two or three-year option, as it works out cheaper.
Pros: Very secure. Great features, including parental controls. Excellent value for money.
Cons: Sometimes hogs CPU during background scan.
Overall, I recommend KIS to anyone not sure which security bundle to choose.
Hi Leo! Most of the stuff you “put out” for the “general user” is OK, but that’s it. Nothing really great, and nothing to write home about! In regards to your Firewall/AV recommendations, I’d say that you’re a little “out-of-touch” M-S SE ain’t that swift, and M-S is VERY nosy about what is on people’s computers! Avira is one of the biggest P-o-S that you could EVER install on a machine! Where have you been of late??? BEST for 32 OR 64-bit machines is COMODO Internet Security FREE (Firewall & AV)! NOT nosy and even if a bit out-of-date, it’ll STILL run, which M-S SE won’t! And SPYBOT or Adaware???? You have got to be kidding me! They’re both so BLOATED, SLOW and out-of-date, that they couldn’t find a noodle in a wet paper bag!!! Use SUPERAntispyware FREE and MalwareBytes (FREE) and you’re good to go. Jesus H. Christ Leo, try and stay a bit up-to-date, even with normal users!!!! -J.Ellis
Leo, I like what you report. I have use Malware to help clean up clients infected systems. MSE came on a new laptop I purchase and turned it off, just because of previous results from MS. I see you also mention AVG and Avira, but you haven’t mentioned Avast – free. I have used this for 8 years and it has never let me down. With its new interface it is even better. Like you say, nothing is 100% all the time. Are you toting MSE for a reason? Just wondering.
I just purchase a tower HP and will be turning it on soon. I’ve used Stop Sign Virus Protection since 2002 and have been really pleased. I’ll call them to add my 3rd computer. They scan continuously each day, update and repair – For the beginner they might be too much because there is always a window popping up asking you what you want to do next. But for my money Stop-sign is really good.
MSE is well-touted as an excellent antivirus program, but what about anti-spyware? If MSE doesn’t do spyware, can you recommend a good anti-spyware program that “plays nicely” with MSE? And the same for a firewall program? Thanks…
firewall when you’re not behind a router.
05-Jan-2011
I’m running the following on 50 computers that I maintain.
Superantispyware-free version.
Extermintate_it Paid version
Please can you help. I am receiving unwanted emails that are sent from my email address to bulk recipients and then being returned unsent. Can you recommend a solution. I have Sky Broadband but am using AOL for emails only.
Thanks
Ann
15-May-2011
@Ann: It appears that your AOL account may have been hacked. If this is the case you should change your AOL password and security information. Here’s an article on what to do:
http://ask-leo.com/is_changing_my_password_enough.html
Trying to tell non comnputer people that Antivirus does not catch everything is hard to do. I use MSE, because I got sick of the buy popup from Avira. If I were to go with a paid program, what would I get that MSE would not give me?
AVG Free and “built in”MS stuff! AVG slow if lines are busy but I have always run the backups first thing daily, and a full scan once a week. Learned my lesson long ago!
Len – Extermintate_it is a questionable program. Not a rogue but it does give lots of false positives and doesn’t offer a trial nor it’s free to remove. I’m wondering on how many legit files and legit reg entries that weren’t infected you’ve removed using Exterminate-it.
Anyhow, I’m using KIS 2012 and paid MBAM as my security setup. Microsoft did really well there cracking a very difficult arena to crack. Not easy to put up a brand new antivirus against the well established paid and free security vendors and Microsoft managed it very well I thought with MSE.
I found that if I am using a current Vipre license
(GFI/Sunbelt software) that the Vipre people will
remove any malware I hapen to get for free.
Sort of like antimalware insurance.I have not
had the opportunity(thankfully) to utilize this service yet.
Best regards
Bob Byrne
Thanks to “Leo” and alot of you on this site I have learned alot about many new items and issues.Thank you All. Michka’el.
Over the years I have tested and used various security products. Many of them were good (for a while), but always ended up eventually having some drawbacks (high cost, high overhead, clunky interface, too intrusive, etc). For quite a while now I have used nothing but Vipre (formerly owned by Sunbelt Software, now GFI). It has the best mix of cost, safety, flexibility, ease of use and performance. Support is really good and is U.S. based. They have “lifetime” licenses at a reasonable price and good pricing on licenses for all your home machines (unlimited). They update anti-virus signatures several times a day, usually. As Leo says, one size does not fit all, but I think once you try Vipre you will like it better than anything else you may have tried before. I was never a big fan of comprehensive security packages myself, preferring to buy separate “best in its’ class” items, but Vipre changed my mind.
Just a comment about AVG Free, since Leo recommends it. A lot of people use and recommend it, but I have found that it slows my system down a lot. I have quite an old system. Perhaps on newer, faster systems, it’s not an issue. It’s also only an anti-virus I think and does not have a Firewall.
Hey All…
I just wanted to ask about AVAST antivirus? Isn’t there anyone who recommends this program?
Hi Leo,
Is Norton a good solution?
12-Nov-2011
AVG now (without my permission) installs a search bar that slowed my computer a lot. AVG does not offer any info removing the Toolbar even though I did not check the box to include the Toolbar. It was so annoying I unintalled AVG. Now I still have the Toolbar on Google and I cannot remove it.
So AVG is getting paid for hits when someone else uses my computer and this toolbar. Why would AVG offer to uninstall the toolbar. Pretty underhanded business dealings.
@Joon
When you installed AVG you probably didn’t uncheck the box that said install the toolbar, or you may have chosen the express install which automatically installs it as a default. Many freeware programs do this, as that’s how they make money. In order to remove the toolbar, some toolbars can be uninstalled through the add/remove programs function in the control panel, others can be removes through the install/remove add-ins from your browser.
As a Computer Repair shop owner, I have seen products such as Avira and AVG (FREE) Fail on NUMEROUS occasions, ever since “Rootkits” (Super nasty infections, known to disable AV Programs, and admin tasks like task manager, and even internet connection via using bad proxy settings) came onto the scene. I have found several programs that DO work.
KASPERSKY is probably #1 due to price and protection. #2 is ESET. #3 is Norton but ONLY the 360 PREMIER edition, which is VERY expensive in comparision, as well as a system hog, etc. Back in “The Good Ol’ Days”, I could give customers AVG, Spybot Search and Destroy, and Adaware, and call it good. Unfortunately those times are gone, and I have yet to find a SINGLE free AV program that protects against serious viruses or rootkits. If anyone DOES know of one out there, I’d greatly appreciate the heads-up!
Some known bad AV programs are-AVG Free ( my old roommate used paid, and STILL had crap found by MALWAREBYTES after ) , Avira, Avast, Webroot, Mcafee, Microsoft Security Essentials, Win Defender, -pretty much everything free, and unfortunately even most of the pricey ones too.
These of course, are just from my experience as a computer technician and then business owner.I am posting this hoping to save some people the trouble of trying to find good ones, or googling it. Unfortunately like everything else, AV programs are about politics-they pay for reviews, and fake top 100 lists, etc.
BTW Leo, thanks SO much for the great site, I send MANY customers here to find easy answers!
Hey Leo,
As a professional computer tech, I am not a fan of link scanners either, mainly for a different reason than you stated (although MS Phishing Filter REALLY slows down the browser!) – my reason is that nothing is 100%, and if a user trusts a link scanner 100% then they could still get infected by trusting it.
Here is a procedure that I recommend to my customers to help stay away from the bad guys – use Mozilla Firefox and install AdBlockPlus (available at adblockplus.org). Since many spyware infections are coming in on otherwise benign web pages (especially on XP with IE 8 or less) removing the ads will be a huge advantage in the fight against malware. Sure, Simple Ad Block (adblockplus’s cousin) IS available for IE, but its $30 – why pay that when its free for FF?
Dave
I would recommend microsoft security essentials as well (I never though I would recommend a microsoft avs!).
AVG used to be good (but is now bloated). Then again, if you are careful about what you view/download/install you shouldn’t need antivirus.
Dear Anyone.
For starters – what WOULD you call Malwarebytes Anti Malware if not an antivirus scanner? I notice Leo says it doesn’t count as one but I can’t see WHY it doesn’t count as one. Silly.
And secondly – as far as scanning everything you download goes, that’s only as good as the scanner you use. I have Avast Free which happily tells me my system is secure. But my system was getting slower and slower and repeated full scans with Avast were coming up empty.
So I did a 10-Bit full scan – found 10 nasties. Killed those. Then I did a Malwarebytes scan – and found 97. That’s not a mistype – 97! And I’d scanned EVERYTHING I’d ever downloaded with Avast Free!
So I’ve got Avast Free still, and 10-Bit, but I do a full system scan once a week with Malwarebytes to be on the safes side – for something that isn’t an antivirus scanner – according to Leo – it’s very good at finding nasties!
Yours respectfully
Christopher Burke
I have used Norton for about 15 years. I currently use Norton 360 and I have found it to be 100% reliable. My only observation is that you must keep the auto updates running and setup. I use CCleaner to get rid of the junk and Norton Ultilities to tidy up. It all works well together.
After many years of trying everything, I’m down to using everything Leo recommends excet AVG & Avira. All I can add is TDSSKiller rootkit removing tool by Kaspersky, (it’s free), and maybe Cookienator, for tracking cookies. Ad-Aware has come a long way. Most all of them update every day. Here’s to staying “clean”.
I used AVG for quite awhile but was attacked several times and had trojans, etc. on several occasions. I lost control of my desktop and had to reinstall Windows. I went to MSE when it came out and haven’t had any problems since.
I have been using Avira for many years now. Both the free and the paid for versions with good results.
My ISP recommended Malwarebytes just to make sure nothing was missed. It’s been doing a fine job for me for a few years too.
Kind of makes me feel good that Leo recommends the same tools that I have been using for years. I just don’t have any problems with any of my computers. It’s nice.
What about Windows Defender?
07-Mar-2012
I noticed you did not recommend AVAST free. I have been using it on every computer I have built which is a lot. I also use it on all 7 of my home computers 3 desktops 3 laptops and one netbook. I don’t mind having to register it every year for the benefits it provides. I rely on Ask Leo thanks for a great service
ESET YES OR NO AND WHY?
I’d definitely recommend Avast over AVG. The 2 times I’ve had AVG, it ended up destroying my system and causing me to have to reformat, thus losing all my data.
I couldn’t even boot into safe mode! The first time it happened…well it just sort of happened, I went to restart my computer and right when it got to the windows splash screen, it blue screened. The 2nd time, I actually installed AVG by accident some how (I meant to download and install Avast). So I went to uninstall AVG, it prompted me to restart and guess what…destroyed my system again, wasn’t able to boot into safe mode or anything.
So on that note, I highly recommend staying away from AVG as from my experience it’s almost as bad as McAffee is at causing more problems than fixing. If you cherish the integrity of your system, don’t install AVG. I’ve never had any issues with Avast and it never pops up advertisements asking me to buy their full version. It’s always up to date and I haven’t had a virus on my system in years (I do scans with Spyboy search and destroy, as well as, malwarebytes monthly along side it).
@Allen
Millions of people have been using AVG without any problems. So I’d suspect the problems you are having may be caused by malware or some other problem, not AVG software.
All things considered, I recommend Avast over AVG any day. I’ve had huge system problems with AVG. To blame “some other problem” for it, is not fair. I have never had such problems with Avast and I’ve never had any infections since using Avast, MBAM and SS&D. It’s less resource hungry and it does not irritate me with constant tugging to buy their products.
I used Ad-aware for many years but last week succumbed to blandishments to upgrade to Ver.10. Big mistake – for the 1st time ever I got BSOD every time I awoke the computer from sleep. I also got some bizarre effects like empty emails. Big trouble removing program. I finally tried a system restore and wonder of wonders – it worked. Note that they have added AV to spyware detection ie exactly what Leo warned against.
I installed Spybot which I have used previously. Lo and behold. the 1st run found W3i.IQ5.FRAUD! Is it a false positive?
I have no symptoms of anything wrong. I’m very careful where I go and what I download. Security Essentials did not find this, nor did Ad-aware 9.6 nor did Malwarebytes Antimalware.
Is it real? How dangerous is it? Opinions welcome.
Using W7 and a router plus a commodo firewall
P.S. to above comment.
I am using AVG and it, and all other security ware mentioned, is up to date.
So if I’ve got malware – How could I have gotten it?
I recently had a problem with my desktop computer and the tech recommended Webroot. So far so good, it doesn’t take up a lot of disk space which is good for me. I was using Microsoft Essentials.
In the “Short-Short Version” you (once again) emphasized MSE. In the article you also mentioned you don’t answer Mac-related questions very often. I’m hoping this one will be an exception, or at least be among the “not-very-often.” I have now tried to install MSE *several* times on my Windows XP Pro installation in BootCamp on my MacBook Pro. (Also when that installation resided on an old (original) 13″ MacBook.) It has failed every time! This last time Microsoft suggested a scanner (to be sure I removed *all* previous anti-malware programs,) which I used. Among the ones found (in addition to my ZoneAlarm Firewall and Anti-Virus) were Malwarebytes’ Anti-Malware and Spybot Search & Destroy… and a few others. I virtually reamed my system of security programs, also using several cleaners and registry-fixers (in sequence, not simultaneously) to be sure all of it was gone. Of course I worried about running “naked” while MSE installed…, BUT it still wouldn’t install. I also had a failed backup to contend with–*very* long story short, the not-up-to-date Windows from my original MacBook is now on the Pro.
Could these problems with installing MSE have something to do with hardware issues of running Windows in BootCamp (Apple drivers) on a Mac? OR, what could I have done wrong? I did run chkdsk /f on (each) restart, but (ahem) had neglected to restart twice after the one prior to the backup which is why the restore errored out. Perhaps I needed to do that prior to the MSE install as well?
You are not the only one to recommend MSE. I would prefer to have it in my Windows (which I need as the “go-to” person, still, after semi-retirement.) I would appreciate any ideas you have as to why the installation of MSE keeps on failing! And possibly what I can do about it.
I’m amazed. After years of juggling with Avast,AVG,SpyBot etc. with their large footprint, it was recommended that I use MSE and MalWareBytes plus the router Firewall. I did and have had no more problems with sluggish performance or malware.
Excellent article. Will visit more often!
Pete
I have a Northgate PC with 35G HDD (5GB “free”). I’m currently use the FREE AVG anti-virus software, Super Anti-Spyware Professional (pay version), and CYBER DEFENDER (pay version), yet my XP PC is VERY sluggish. I know HDD probably needs to be much larger, but what can I do to maximize the speed on this machine? As to the internet, I have a 40MB down/5MB cable broadband setup connecting thru an SMC cable broadband modem/router (N-protocol). Thanks.
@Russell,
Here’s a good article from Leo on how to speed up an XP. Look through the links at the bottom as they are good too:
How can I make my computer run faster
I haave 256 mb ram on my system and I have tried almost all antivirus softwares. They tend to slow down the systyem cosiderably. If someone knows any antivirus compatible to 256 mb ram kindly let me know.
Hemachandra
02-Oct-2012
I would like to know what you think about “VIPRE ANTI-VIRUS”??? I currently have it & I sometimes think it is too protective!! Can that be so?? Thanks!
The results in http://www.av-test.org/en/tests/home-user/julaug-2012/ show that Symantec Norton Internet Seecurity 2012 provides much better protection than Microsoft Security Essentials. Kaspersky Internet Security had the highest rating with Avira and Bitdefender not far behind. Anything other than systematic testing is just guesswork.
Thank you for this article. I would like to link my friends to it. I’ve followed nearly the exact path in my own AV software history.
I use Advanced System Care ,and it seems to do all that is required to keep your computer running in tip top condition. Gets rid of malware and the junk along with many other things that affect your computer and Excellent program.
Check it out !!!
“Different strokes for different folks!” I use Comodo Personal Firewall (free version) for my firewall, Avast for my “active” anti-virus, and have MalwareBytes (MBAM) installed but inactive to use as a “second opinion”. I also have Kaspersky TDSSKiller Rootkit Remover to be used when deemed necessary. I did have Spybot S&D but just recently I dumped it. I also had Secunia PSI but got rid of it after their (I feel) lousy attempt to “modernize” (for lack of a better word) their application. The older version of PSI provided me much more information that does the current version of PSI. Same goes for Spybot. So far, I have had no problems, infestations, etc., with my current set-up.
I like Avast because it automatically updates it’s virus definitions all by itself every day, and I have the free version. I have had no problems with virus’ or malware since I installed it. It will run interference for you and stop a virus from getting on your machine. I really like it!!
I actually agree with Leo on this as Micro Security Essentials as first choice my reasons are so simple ,I repair computers for friends and have Windows Based Computers in my home and also one Imac the pcs have never had a virus in at least 4 years and I use a VPN on these repaired friends computers which on request I can check them remotely when a problem arises with no problem up to now as far as Trojans viruses or unwanted nasties so Microsoft Security gets my vote, remember also its free,,,,,,,,,,
I used to use AVG never had problems until I installed K9. I tried reinstalling with the settings the support gave me but never really worked together kept blocking my whole internet etc. I unistalled AVG and now use MS security essentials.
I.ve been using avast! Internet Security for a couple of years now, and although it’s not free, it’s certainly reasonable, and I have had NO problems whatsoever. I also use CCleaner, Boost (http://www.boostbyreason.com/), Malwarebytes anti-malware, and WinPatrol. All seem to be highly recommended and highly effective.
I, too, use Avast! — free, not Internet Security. Prior to that, I had been using Avira, but it suddenly stopped updating and even a reinstall didn’t fix that. Avira tech support had no answer for why. So I switched to Avast! Have had no problems with it for 5 years. I also have SpywareBlaster, Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware, all free versions. I use the latter 2 very rarely because I haven’t had more than a couple of nasties in the last half-dozen years. Desktop connects to the Internet thru my router via a Belkin adapter, so none of my computers are even visible on the Internet. Hence, never get anything. I provide tech support to a dozen families and non-profit organizations, and set their computers up the same way. They, too, never have malware problems.
I use Malwarebytes along with Webroot’s Spysweeper and have no problems. Had Norton, tried AVG and a couple of freebies. I will stick with this combo.
Over the years I have used a variety of these systems (Norton’s, AVG, McAfee and others with varying degrees of success) but 2 years ago my Tech put me on to Trend Titanium and I can’t fault it. It’s fast unobtrusive and extremely vigilant. It’s great value and peace of mind for money you pay.
Best antivirus, malware, all around security on-line? Simple: as Leo says, first of all, always use a decent router even for just one computer; other than that Viper will do it all and has great, responsive support, not to mention very reasonable renewals with frequent annual ‘bargain renewals’ Leave my computer on all day, most days, never get infected. Vipre is fast, lean, and user friendly interface. Not to mention their wonderful,free, weekly newsletter via email, with updates on security risks and other useful info.
I’ve had a “decent router” for ages and had to upgrade recently so I could move to n band as well as WPA2-PSK. I have to assume it’s Firewall offers some protection because I’m an old guy of computer level 3/10. As well as various phones my router links to an iPad and three Windows computers.
My main computer runs Win7 with ESET protection since ages ago when Nortons just about paralyzed my computer, I trust things are better these days. The second is a laptop that came with Norton’s pre-installed and which I purchased out of fear of what may happen if I tried to uninstall Nortons. Now I find I can use it on three computers. What a waste! My third computer runs XP and was protected by free AVG. That is, until it crashed miserably due to virus intrusion. One angry woman and she was pointing at me! Why?
It was after clearing all the problems in the XP installation that I decided that free virus programs were inviting failure. If I was starting again I would choose ESET for all, but I quake at the prospect of declining Norton’s and there is an upgrade from that XP on the horizon with all the pitfalls that threatens. The point is that all three virus programs are now paid because I’ve had failures from the free version of AVG, dreadful problems with running and removing old Nortons and only one rude contact with ESET. The odds favour ESET.
I recently bought a new desk-top with Wndows 8. It had a trial version of Kapersky (now expired) but the built in anti-virus etc. is Windows Defender. If Microsoft Security Essentials is better than Defender why didn`t Microsoft make that the factory-installed virus protection?. Should I switch to MSE.
Ken
This is another case of Microsoft’s bad naming choices. I should clarify this in the article, but in Windows 8 the program called Windows Defender is, basically, Security Essentials. So there’s no need to grab MSE – you effectively already have it.
If you are using the free versions of AVG or Avast, and are getting prompted to get the newest version, users are reporting various problems with these, you may want to check this out, there are various reports online about it…
Let’s say I’m on vacation but want to keep an eye on stocks I am trading…I’d want to make sure my laptop is secure if I’m checking in on my stock portfolio or bank account…would it be a good idea to bring a router with me for extra protection?…or is it even possible to hook up a router onto my laptop while in a motel…thanks.
I’ve heard of it being done, and it can work. You’d connect it up to the wired connection that the hotel provides. In all honesty I’d just turn on the Windows firewall, and then have you review this article: Can hotels sniff my internet traffic? and then treat everything as outlined here: How do I use an open WiFi hotspot safely?
Security? My Dollar three ninty-eight. Compare to the home with the doors locked/bolted so the thieves can’t get in. Keeps the locals and the drive-bys out. Not the ones that really want in. And, Once in the locks are useless to keep them leaving with the goodies.
(Most? vrii are let in by the user via email and Browser views. Yes?)
Having a good firewall, that prevents all those OEM freebies and downloaded hypes from calling home, is a must. The big boys are guilty of attempting those calls also. Adobe, Picasa, And on and on. A firewall that offers a report of same would surprise most if read. Who and how many attempts on each usage.
I hear they call only call home to assure you have the latest update. Right!
With that in mind I prefer to allow updates within a time frame that doesn’t disrupt any activity currently running. And/or waiting till the release is out for a while with an ear to the ground for any problems that may need fixes.
Also have NoScript and AdBlock plus with Mozillas Firefox browser to reduce ‘unauthorized’ activity.
The firewall? ZoneAlarm (free). Originally from Steve Gibson. Now by?? The only virii I now find are the hooks in the Registry left after uninstalling the OEM freebees.
I keep aware of the new as it comes across the screen. But don’t have time to change horses based on other users (readers) recommends.
Norton OEM was the hardest to remove. Had to call and threaten them to get their tool to completely erase it!
Finally. Didn’t mention any of the other anti-vrii as I don’t use any of them. They were causing more problems with their latest and greatest (added bloat) including the time consuming management of them with each ‘upgrade’.
I just instaled a copy of ‘webroot secure anywhere” and to say I’m impressed is an understatement.
I can’t believe the low overhead, the checking of every keystroke, every port and thread and the speed increase with their tools is outa-sight. In five minutes on line the log has checked 4 million bits of data and commands to and from every open port on my PC. Why haven’t I seen this shield before. It works hand in hand with all other resident virus checkers because it’s more of a guard and shield to suspicious activity on the PC.
John, I did an Internet search of ‘webroot secure anywhere’ (WCA) and PC Magazine had an article (Oct 29,1012) indicating 5 different WCA suites were available. Which did you use?
Opps. Change my last from WCA to WSA.
Download any Linux based FREE operating system at distrowatch dot com. Mint is user friendly as is Ubuntu. Very, very few virus attack Linux based systems. Instructions for creating a ISO image are posted on their respective web sites. You may also use the portable version (USB stick) or load and try the system without installing it. Give it a try, it’s the wave of the future!
And the more people do what you say, the sooner viruses for Linux will proliferate to the level that they do with Windows, just as Mac users are beginning to find out.
I like Norton360…you get a world-wide network, plus cleanup utilities and a backup.
Can you recommend a VPN? From time to time, I need to use a WIFI connection for online banking.
What would be a good VPN for that purpose?
I don’t (yet) have a specific recommendation, but a couple of people I respect use http://www.hotspotshield.com fairly regularly.